It was early in the morning on Monday May 12th when we were happily greeted by Outi our gracious Swedish host at the Uppsala train station. The Comenius Project gang was reunited at last since our second meeting in London which took place in December 2013. We boarded the train to the calm and green village of Storvreta where we were spending our first of the 3 day conference.
Outi, the Principal of Storvretaskolan welcomed us and some of her staff who were involved in the project were also present to introduced themselves. Outi spent the first portion of the morning presenting the Swedish school system. It was a very interesting presentation where many questions were asked and ideas were generated. It was important for the group to see how the Swedish school system is structured in order to gain insight and to give us a bit of background before we would visit the various educational sites. The morning proceeded with Marleen giving an overview of the results of the questionnaire from the London trip. The results were also accompanied by some remarks from our external evaluator.
After a few follow up points from Luc we move across the street to the Biblioteket (local library) which would be our new home base for the remaining time while in Storvreta. Upon arrival we were treated to what would be the first of many "fika", the Swedish version of a "coffee break". Very impressed by the lovely sweets and curious if this was a daily occurrence, on Tuesday after being treated once again at the Pilskolan visit, I asked one of the locals who responded with a "yes. Sometimes twice a day!" It seems that this "frika" is a very important part of the Swedish life. I think the majority of us would happily agree! It should now be noted that in all other instances regarding food, the Swedish diet is extremely healthy and equally delicious.
I digress ... The next item on the agenda was a tour of Outi's school. Our large group was split into smaller groups that were lead around the school by students. Our particular pair of students were very well spoken in English and extremely charming. The main things that stood out while walking around the school was how well behaved the students were, the displays of the children’s work was also very nice, the outdoor space and time for children seemed very valued and a large component of the curriculum. It was also really nice to see the handywork classes that the older children took part in every week; there is a woodworking class and a sewing class which many of us thought was very important, teaching the children how to use their hands and create their own products which they could use throughout their lives. After the tour, we were treated to an incredible lunch, we had 6 large salmons to feast upon, a big thank you to the staff at Storvretaskolan! After lunch we headed back to the library across the road to get back to work. Marleen discussed the closing conference a bit, and then we had time to work in our Buddy teams until the end of the day. We all took the train back to the city centre and everyone was free to relax and do their own thing for dinner.
Outi, the Principal of Storvretaskolan welcomed us and some of her staff who were involved in the project were also present to introduced themselves. Outi spent the first portion of the morning presenting the Swedish school system. It was a very interesting presentation where many questions were asked and ideas were generated. It was important for the group to see how the Swedish school system is structured in order to gain insight and to give us a bit of background before we would visit the various educational sites. The morning proceeded with Marleen giving an overview of the results of the questionnaire from the London trip. The results were also accompanied by some remarks from our external evaluator.
After a few follow up points from Luc we move across the street to the Biblioteket (local library) which would be our new home base for the remaining time while in Storvreta. Upon arrival we were treated to what would be the first of many "fika", the Swedish version of a "coffee break". Very impressed by the lovely sweets and curious if this was a daily occurrence, on Tuesday after being treated once again at the Pilskolan visit, I asked one of the locals who responded with a "yes. Sometimes twice a day!" It seems that this "frika" is a very important part of the Swedish life. I think the majority of us would happily agree! It should now be noted that in all other instances regarding food, the Swedish diet is extremely healthy and equally delicious.
I digress ... The next item on the agenda was a tour of Outi's school. Our large group was split into smaller groups that were lead around the school by students. Our particular pair of students were very well spoken in English and extremely charming. The main things that stood out while walking around the school was how well behaved the students were, the displays of the children’s work was also very nice, the outdoor space and time for children seemed very valued and a large component of the curriculum. It was also really nice to see the handywork classes that the older children took part in every week; there is a woodworking class and a sewing class which many of us thought was very important, teaching the children how to use their hands and create their own products which they could use throughout their lives. After the tour, we were treated to an incredible lunch, we had 6 large salmons to feast upon, a big thank you to the staff at Storvretaskolan! After lunch we headed back to the library across the road to get back to work. Marleen discussed the closing conference a bit, and then we had time to work in our Buddy teams until the end of the day. We all took the train back to the city centre and everyone was free to relax and do their own thing for dinner.
Tuesday May 13 2014
We met bright and early on Tuesday morning to take the bus to Pilskolan (The Willow Tree School), which is a small school for children ages 6-16 with hearing loss or language disorders. Pilskolan lies on the same ground as Johannesbäcksskolan, a mainstream school. Mainstream schools “buy” places in this resource base (same as Vidaskolan: see later). Johanna the Head Teacher gave us a brief presentation of the school and how it functions. Our group was then divided by colours to break off into smaller groups to visit some of the classrooms to get a better sense of how the teachers modify for the students. I really enjoyed sitting in on the Swedish History class, observing how the teacher spoke with a simultaneous sign language moderator, it was truly incredible to see how the class was set up! After the classroom visits we were treated to yet another lovely spread of coffee and delicious Swedish pastries. After our coffee break, we left for the second visit of the day to visit Konsultativt stod a consultancy agency who act as a support system for schools. Anders Calrgren gave us a presentation on how the consultancy agency works and what types of specialty services they provide to schools. This was a very interesting concept. It was time for lunch, and we ate yet another healthy meal at a cute cafeteria style restaurant. We walked to the bus to depart for the last visit of the day to the Videskolan which is a small school who support children on the autistic spectrum . Videskolan is in th same house as Bergaskolan, a mainstream school. We were greeted and introduced to a very friendly staff who led us through a presentation on how their school operates. This visit was of particular interest to me, hailing from our resource base in London where we teach children on the autistic spectrum as well. It was great to see different and similar approaches being used in Sweden to support these children. Once our big day of visits was complete, Outi guided us on a lovely walk back through the University grounds into the town of Uppsala. The group dispersed for a small rest before our historical guided tour of Uppsala and dinner. Outi had arranged for a former colleague and history buff to meet us and guide us through the town of Uppsala, highlighting major sites and stories which accompanied. It was a very informative tour, and we owe a big thank you to Camilla Ejerblad for her time and her knowledge! After the tour, we were hungry for our group dinner at Lingon, a very nice restaurant overlooking the river. We all enjoyed our food and a couple of drinks, chatting and reflecting about our time together so far.
We met bright and early on Tuesday morning to take the bus to Pilskolan (The Willow Tree School), which is a small school for children ages 6-16 with hearing loss or language disorders. Pilskolan lies on the same ground as Johannesbäcksskolan, a mainstream school. Mainstream schools “buy” places in this resource base (same as Vidaskolan: see later). Johanna the Head Teacher gave us a brief presentation of the school and how it functions. Our group was then divided by colours to break off into smaller groups to visit some of the classrooms to get a better sense of how the teachers modify for the students. I really enjoyed sitting in on the Swedish History class, observing how the teacher spoke with a simultaneous sign language moderator, it was truly incredible to see how the class was set up! After the classroom visits we were treated to yet another lovely spread of coffee and delicious Swedish pastries. After our coffee break, we left for the second visit of the day to visit Konsultativt stod a consultancy agency who act as a support system for schools. Anders Calrgren gave us a presentation on how the consultancy agency works and what types of specialty services they provide to schools. This was a very interesting concept. It was time for lunch, and we ate yet another healthy meal at a cute cafeteria style restaurant. We walked to the bus to depart for the last visit of the day to the Videskolan which is a small school who support children on the autistic spectrum . Videskolan is in th same house as Bergaskolan, a mainstream school. We were greeted and introduced to a very friendly staff who led us through a presentation on how their school operates. This visit was of particular interest to me, hailing from our resource base in London where we teach children on the autistic spectrum as well. It was great to see different and similar approaches being used in Sweden to support these children. Once our big day of visits was complete, Outi guided us on a lovely walk back through the University grounds into the town of Uppsala. The group dispersed for a small rest before our historical guided tour of Uppsala and dinner. Outi had arranged for a former colleague and history buff to meet us and guide us through the town of Uppsala, highlighting major sites and stories which accompanied. It was a very informative tour, and we owe a big thank you to Camilla Ejerblad for her time and her knowledge! After the tour, we were hungry for our group dinner at Lingon, a very nice restaurant overlooking the river. We all enjoyed our food and a couple of drinks, chatting and reflecting about our time together so far.
Wednesday May 14 2014
It was the last day of our project meeting in Uppsala. We met in the morning back at Storvretaskola to have coffee and begin the busy day. Time in the morning was dedicated to working in local teams, reflecting on what we had experienced during our time in Uppsala. We also had time to split off into the parallel groups to work on the toolbox, the blog and newsletter, and the website and drop-box. This time was very much needed and very well used. Things are really starting to come together as the group opens up, and works together: “Together is better”! Lunch was once again served by the gracious staff at Outi’s school, and it was off to visit a nearby secondary school (Arentunaskolan) learn about their program called “The Bridge”. We learned that 10-15% of students of this school in attendance form this program which acts as extra support for adolescents depending on their individual needs. Both group and individual sessions are available. After learning a bit about this program, we thanked the presenters at Arentunaskolan and walked back to the library, which had been our home base for the last 3 days. We had a couple more hours to tie up loose ends in our various local, buddy and parallel groups before hearing from our partners in Slovenia who gave us some pertinent information for our next meeting which will be in October. The day came to a close, with some goodbyes at the library, followed by our handy train ride back to the centre of Uppsala. It was suggested that we have one final meal together later that evening, and pretty much all were in agreement! We split ways, and reconvened at a lovely restaurant in the old train station. Once again, we indulged in delicious food, and grateful conversations between partners. A huge thank you to Outi and the rest of the Swedish team for a wonderful experience while in Uppsala. I sure did learn a lot about the Swedish school system, as well as inclusion models of practice that are being used in the schools we were fortunate to visit. I don’t know about the rest of the gang, but I sure am looking forward to the next time we meet in Slovania to continue to gain more knowledge on inclusion practices in different countries. Until we meet again, take care!
It was the last day of our project meeting in Uppsala. We met in the morning back at Storvretaskola to have coffee and begin the busy day. Time in the morning was dedicated to working in local teams, reflecting on what we had experienced during our time in Uppsala. We also had time to split off into the parallel groups to work on the toolbox, the blog and newsletter, and the website and drop-box. This time was very much needed and very well used. Things are really starting to come together as the group opens up, and works together: “Together is better”! Lunch was once again served by the gracious staff at Outi’s school, and it was off to visit a nearby secondary school (Arentunaskolan) learn about their program called “The Bridge”. We learned that 10-15% of students of this school in attendance form this program which acts as extra support for adolescents depending on their individual needs. Both group and individual sessions are available. After learning a bit about this program, we thanked the presenters at Arentunaskolan and walked back to the library, which had been our home base for the last 3 days. We had a couple more hours to tie up loose ends in our various local, buddy and parallel groups before hearing from our partners in Slovenia who gave us some pertinent information for our next meeting which will be in October. The day came to a close, with some goodbyes at the library, followed by our handy train ride back to the centre of Uppsala. It was suggested that we have one final meal together later that evening, and pretty much all were in agreement! We split ways, and reconvened at a lovely restaurant in the old train station. Once again, we indulged in delicious food, and grateful conversations between partners. A huge thank you to Outi and the rest of the Swedish team for a wonderful experience while in Uppsala. I sure did learn a lot about the Swedish school system, as well as inclusion models of practice that are being used in the schools we were fortunate to visit. I don’t know about the rest of the gang, but I sure am looking forward to the next time we meet in Slovania to continue to gain more knowledge on inclusion practices in different countries. Until we meet again, take care!